"Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” -Daniel 3:15

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Many of us know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If not, here's a quick recap. King Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem. Not only did he besiege King Jehoiakim who was ruler of Judah, but he also besieged articles from the temple of God and placed them in the house of his own god in Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar was looking for skilled, strong young men to be of service to him. Among those who were chosen were  some young men from Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The king changed their names to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ended up being appointed at the request of Daniel who had found favor with the king to be administrators over the province of Babylon. Let's fast forward:

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So, Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, and the command was that whenever the music played everyone was to fall down and worship the golden image. Whoever did not worship the golden image would be thrown into a fiery furnace. However, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship any other god besides their God. After this was brought to Nebuchadnezzar's attention, he gave them another chance to worship the golden image, and they still refused. They told Nebuchadnezzar that regardless of the consequence they refused to serve any god besides their God. They told Nebuchadnezzar that they knew that their God would deliver them out of his hands and even if their God chose not to deliver them, they still would not bow to another god. In anger Nebuchadnezzar instructed that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual and that the boys be bound and thrown into it.

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Can You Feel the Heat?

Ever found yourself in a situation where you felt like  your only choice was to give in to the sin, give in to the temptation, allow the trial to overtake you, or allow your enemy to defeat you, but something in you decided, "You know what, I'm just going to trust God with this one and whatever happens, happens."? You made a choice not to give in to the sin or temptation. You decided not to allow that trial to damage you spiritually. You decided not to allow yourself to be defeated.

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Instead, you grabbed on to that faith that you knew you had because you had nothing else to hold on to. And with faith on your side and God in your corner, you walked straight into the fire and said "God, I know you're going to bring me out." You said, "God, I'm trapped and only you can see me out of this one."

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And although you knew this "thing", this "fire", could have completely destroyed you, stripped you of everything that you had, your faith did not waver. You were determined to trust God with all you had. You did not doubt that God would deliver you. There was no doubt in your mind that God couldn't change the diagnosis and even if He didn't change it, you knew that he could still keep you in spite of it. And no surprise to you, although a surprise to the people around you," that trial", "that fire" that you were in, did not destroy you. You looked better while you were in the "fire" than you did before you went into it. Not only did you look good as you endured the "fire",  but the same things that tried to bring you down actually brought you increase that you were not expecting. That fire that was meant to harm you pushed you toward your purpose. The same people who tried to destroy you were destroyed. God provided, protected,  and shielded you, just like you knew He would. And now people look at you and say, "That's what you call a miracle."

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Now back to our story:

"The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego," -Daniel 3:22

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The fire was so hot that the guards who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire were killed. While the boys were in the fire Nebuchadnezzar became confused and astonished by what he saw. He asked his advisers, "Were there not three men who were thrown into the fire?" They confirmed, "Yes there were." He exclaimed, "Well, I see four men walking around in the fire and they are not harmed or bound and the fourth looks like the son of the gods."

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Nebuchadnezzar was so amazed that he ordered the boys to come out from the fire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (the three), walked out of the fire, unbound. Not only were they unbound, but they were not harmed, and they did not smell like smoke.

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In amazement Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."

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After this Nebuchadnezzar made a decree that no one was allowed to speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and doing so would result in those who went against their God to be cut into pieces and their homes destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar said that there was indeed no other god that could save like the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He then promoted them all.

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Now back to your survival story:

So here you are. Having survived the fire. After declaring that your God would deliver you. After causing someone who did not believe in your God to realize the power that your God had because he gave you a miracle. Here you are "living your best life", telling everybody how God did not allow the fire to burn you, being a witness to the power of God.

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Time passes along. Now here you are years later. You're going about life as you always have and since you came out of that "big fire" all the little things have been conquerable. But, "Lo and Behold" the wind has just been knocked out of you. You now find yourself in a fire that you did not voluntarily walk into. You find yourself in a fire that has not given you a choice. You could not take a bold stand like you did the last time because you woke up already in this fire. You're so overwhelmed and so caught off guard that you can't even pray. Your spirit is completely shaken and your faith is crushed. "How am I going to make it out of this one?", you think.

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Everyone around you is saying, "Don't worry God always brings you out." And you are thinking, "If one more person tells me that, I'm going to scream." All you can think is, "But this is different." You think, "The last time I knew God was testing me but this one, I don't know. Maybe, I'm being punished for something from way back when."

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You wrestle and wrestle and wrestle and you sink further and further away from standing during this one.

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I have a question for you:  How is it that we can boldly walk into the fire, declaring that God is with us; how can we see that the fire destroyed the people who took us into the fire, yet did not destroy us; how can we come out of the fire unharmed and prosperous, and yet lose all the faith that helped to see us through the fire?

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How are we surviving fire after fire after fire, yet still questioning if the next one is going to be the one that causes damage? If the next one is going to be the one that takes us out.

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Although we may not like to acknowledge that we may "rub God the wrong way" or "get on his nerves", we do have a habit of showing God the "Israelite" in us. We can testify to the glory of God and when reality hits we are reminded not of how "holy" we are but of how "human" we are. Sometimes things can make us lose hope without us even realizing it. The truth is some of us have survived so many fires that we feel like although we know God is strong, we just don't have the energy to put any effort into surviving another one.

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You were empowered to walk into that first one, but every one after that left you feeling defeated instead of victorious. And without realizing it, you gave up. It is easy to look at people and think, "I don't understand why they gave up; they were so close." Yep, it's always easier to not understand why someone else couldn't hang in there when you are not the one hanging from the rope.

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We have to understand that just as there are some trials that are placed in front of us that give us a chance to take it all in and decide to stand, there are some that we can't walk into. There are those that we are quickly and unexpectantly placed in, thrown into. There are those in which much like Joseph, without warning, we are thrown into "that pit".

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See Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were warned of their consequence. Daniel was warned of his consequence. David saw the giant before him. However, Joseph did not know the plans of his brothers. Job did not see his test coming. Moses did not know he would be dealing with "hard-heads" although God did warn him, that he was going to "harden" Pharoah's heart.

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It is sometimes easier to choose faith when we have a warning of what might be our "fire".  You may be able to handle things differently when the job tells you in advance that there may be some repositioning. You may handle things differently when you know you already have a health concern that the doctor has already warned you can "possibly" get worse. You may handle things differently when that mate says, "You know what I think we're falling apart, maybe we need to address it." You can say okay, "This is what it is, now what am I going do?"  You can't fully prepare but you can start to plan some things in your mind.

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But when the job closes without warning, when the diagnosis comes without warning, when the mate walks out without warning, it's a whole different type of challenge and these are the challenges that help us to discover and realize what we are made of. What do you do when the "fire" that you were warned of now becomes a "pit" that you did not know you would be placed into? How do you handle the trials without warnings?

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From "Fires" to "Pits"

Psalm 112:6-7 states:

"Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

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Yep, we say we believe the word, but do we truly take it to heart? We know it is true. We know that we should be in such a place in God where things do not shake us, but how many of us can truly say that we are there? And even if we are there as it concerns one trial does that mean that we are going to approach every trial with the same courage? We should, but we don't always do so. We may truly want to but sometimes it just doesn't happen.  Even when we ourselves don't do it, we know that it is possible to stand up to every trial with courage and faith because the bible gives us many examples. However, following those examples is a challenge in itself.

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Psalm 112:6-7 says we should have no fear. It states that the righteous won't be shaken by bad news and that their hearts are steadfast.  Although that's what we read and say we believe, flesh can speak louder than those words that we read. Being unshaken is not saying that we are not going to feel the natural burdens of these "fires" because we are. God does not expect us to be without emotion when we encounter these things. But what this Psalm is suggesting is that even in spite of what we endure, when we truly fear God, when we truly reverence God, it allows us to not allow circumstances to sway our hearts and trust away from God. It means that those who truly reverence God and recognize His power for what it is are able to remain "fixed", "grounded" on His word. On His ability to deliver. In other words, "unshaken". You don't give the power to the circumstances as the circumstances are not in control, but it is God who is in control. In essence this Psalm is saying that when we fear God, when we live according to how He requires us to live, we have no reason to fear the things of the world because we trust God to handle these things for us.

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The reality is that even when we try our best to stand on God's word, we may start to lose our patience, our hope, and our strength, but we cannot lose our trust in God.  When we keep our trust in God, He gives us the patience, the hope, and the strength that we need. God knows that we get weary. He knows that we become faint. This is exactly why He reminds us in the scriptures to come to Him when we're weak. To come to Him when we're burdened. To come to Him when we are lost and don't know where to turn or who to turn to (Matthew 11:28-29).

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Peace and Trials

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33

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" I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." – John 17:11

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In John 16:33, Jesus is talking to his disciples. Jesus knew that although they were his disciples, they would still have trouble, even more so than those who did not follow him. Jesus knew that those who believed in him could not escape suffering just as he could not escape it.

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In John 17, Jesus even prays to God asking God, his Father to protect his disciples and keep them from harm. He then goes on to pray for all believers. Jesus knew that all who believed in him would be tested in some way, shape, or form. Jesus even told God that his prayers were not for God to take them [his disciples] out of the world as he was going to take him out of the world, but his prayers were for God to protect them from the evil one. We have to realize that the "fires" and the "pits" are here to stay and whether we can see the "fire" before it comes or don't realize what's happening until we are in the "pit", we have to be able to trust God in the midst of them all. Pay attention as it is important to note the following in John 16:33:

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You "may" have peace…..you "will" have trouble (NIV)

Ye "might" have peace…you "shall" have tribulation (KJV)

You "may" have peace… you "will" have tribulation (ESV)

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Jesus explains to his disciples that he is sharing these final teachings with them so that by him they may have peace and expresses to them that in the world they will have trouble.

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Pay close attention to his speaking of peace versus speaking of trouble.

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As it concerns peace, he uses the words "may", in some translations "might" but when it came to trouble/ tribulation he used the words "will", in some translations "shall". What does this mean?

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In essence, Jesus is saying that while he is offering us his peace, while he is letting us know it is available, it is up to us to take it. We have to allow ourselves to find peace in him. It is up to us to place our trust in him.  However, as it concerns trouble and tribulation, we can't escape it. We don't have a choice in the matter. Now while some of us may bring trouble upon ourselves, even in those moments when we are not the cause of our troubles, they will come regardless. We choose peace but trouble comes to us.  

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So, what does this mean as it concerns our "fires" and "pits"?

It means that regardless of who we are, what we are, how "holy" or "unholy" we are, no matter how" righteous" or "unrighteous" we are, no matter how "faithful" or "unfaithful" we are, everyone must endure some type of trial, some type of setback, some type of challenge.

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Therefore, it we have to go through trials, why not make up our minds to trust God to see us through. If we really look at it, no matter what we go through there are only two options available to us, "I can trust God to get me through this" or "I cannot trust God to get me through this". That is the reality of everything we face although we may not want to come to grips with it. We can trust God, and allow Him to lead us, guide us, and strengthen us to endure. Or we can try to do it our way and handle these situations based on what seems easier and what's going to make us feel better, what's going to soothe us more.

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Again, is it easy to trust? We all struggle to do so at some point. A flat tire may not phase one person but for somebody else, especially if they are on their last dime, a flat tire may send them over the edge.

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One person's mate can walk out, and they'll be happy and relieved while another person may feel like they can't make it through the day. 

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One person can get a diagnosis and say, "At least they caught it in time, could have been worse." while another person says, "Why has God forsaken me."

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"Fires" and "Pits" are not going to affect us all the same way. You can look at someone and judge them by saying, "That's what they're crying about, that's nothing compared to what I'm going through." It may not be nothing to you but depending on where they are and what circumstances  surround their personal life, it may be something to them. Just as you are judging how they should be able to "shake it off", somebody may be looking at you saying, "Is that why they're walking around depressed, that's nothing, they can give me their problem and take mine."

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Christ Overcame

We're not perfect and we all can get discouraged when things occur, but we have to remember,

John 16:33, when Jesus tells his disciples, "But take heart, I have overcome the world."

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Although we struggle to truly recognize it, Jesus understands everything we go through. He understands ridicule, betrayal, abandonment, disappointment, being lied on, being mocked, being doubted. Jesus lived through it all. And yet, he had to forgive and keep moving based on the call and purpose that God had for him. He sacrificed himself for the saving of our souls. He "overcame" the world not just in life but through death as well. Therefore, he has already fought every battle for us that we will have to fight.  We sing the song "The battle is the Lord's", well what does that mean to us? What does that mean to you?

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If we remember Joseph's "pit", although it does not explicitly tell us, we know he had some emotions in regards to what his brothers did to him. Starting in Genesis chapters 42-45 you read how Joseph's brothers returned to Egypt during the famine to buy grain. They did not recognize Joseph although he recognized them. If you read the account, Joseph had various moments of weeping, some in which he even had to excuse himself and one in which he was so overcome with emotions that he had to tell his attendants to excuse themselves, which is when he made himself known to his brothers. If you recall,  not only did his brothers throw him into a pit but then Potiphar's wife lied on him.  It seems that Joseph could not get a break. He comes to grips with one thing but then comes something else he has to overcome.

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However, regardless of the emotions or the pain, or the hurt, examine the two passages below:

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"And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you." -Genesis 45:5

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“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt." -Genesis 45:8

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Joseph did something that is one of the hardest things to do when you find yourself having been thrown in a "pit", he recognized God for who He was. Joseph realized it was God who was in control. Joseph realized that it was God, who sent him to Egypt.

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In the case of the "fire" God destroyed the men who put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego in the furnace and after Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego endured, they were promoted.  But as it concerned the "pit", the pit that Joseph's brothers (the ones he loved) threw him into, the pit led Joseph to his promotion. Then after being lied on by Potiphar's wife, Joseph was put into prison and while there, God gave him favor with the prison warden, which then led to him interacting with the cupbearer and the baker, which then led to him being promoted even higher, which then led to the same ones who threw Joseph in the pit, having to fall to his feet in mercy in order to survive the famine.

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As hard as it is, if we can truly allow ourselves to see God amid all our circumstances and if we can allow ourselves not to lose our trust in Him, we will come out on top. God will protect us. God will provide for us. God will fight for us. God "WILL NOT FAIL US". But we have to be willing to stand firm. We cannot survive the "fires" and the "pits" and still question if God is capable when that next thing comes along. What would it have looked like if Joseph survived the pit but allowed himself to be defeated by Potiphar's wife lying on him? He could have missed his opportunity to be put in charge of not just the palace, but all of Egypt. God used Joseph's "pit" to fulfill his "purpose".

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Are you going to miss your opportunity to fulfill your purpose? Only you can decide!